Third highest abundance in thirty years

PESHTIGO – Recently completed fish surveys for yellow perch in Green Bay show good news: the third highest abundance in 30 years for fish hatched earlier this spring, state fisheries biologists say.

“Once again we’re seeing a very strong year-class,” says Tammie Paoli, Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist in Peshtigo. “Numbers are up and the fish are larger than last year at this time, which is indicative of the early hatch and warm water temperatures encountered this spring and summer.” Earlier this month, young-of-year perch were 2.5 to 3 inches long.

Paoli is hopeful that this year class of fish will be different than other classes in recent years that have survived their first summer in good numbers but many of which have died before reaching a catchable size.
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High water the wild card this season

MADISON – High water in many of the rivers that open Sept. 4 for the 2010 hook and line sturgeon season means that fishing prospects for the state’s oldest and largest fish are murky three weeks out but that one thing is clear: bring bug spray.

“The story is the incredible amount of water and the mosquitoes,” says Dan Fuller, Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician based in Poynette. “Right now the Wisconsin River, for instance, is running high. Normally it’s 4,000 cubic feet per second, now it’s 11,000 cfs.”

Information on water levels can be found on the U.S. Geological Survey website at waterwatch.usgs.gov.

Fuller is not sure how those high water levels will impact the fishing. On the one hand, there is a lot of food washing into the river so the sturgeon may not be as hungry and interested in the baits anglers offer. On the other hand, the increase in water levels from the rain can start the fish moving.

For sure, the high water levels mean a bumper crop of mosquitoes will greet anglers casting from the shore, Fuller says. “Bring bug repellant.”
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MADISON – Fish consumption advice has been updated for 2010 and the few minor changes made are reflected in “Choose Wisely: A Health Guide for Eating Fish in Wisconsin [PUB-FH-824, PDF 1.25MB],” now available online and at Department of Natural Resources service centers, state fish contaminant officials say.

DNR and the Department of Health Services jointly issue the advice to help anglers and their families enjoy eating fish they catch from Wisconsin waters or purchase, while reducing their exposure to environmental contaminants.

“Everybody who eats fish, whether they’re eating what they caught or what they bought at a store or restaurant, should review the updated advice and follow it to reduce their exposure to contaminants like mercury and PCBs,” says Candy Schrank, the toxicologist who coordinates the fish consumption advisory for the Department of Natural Resources.
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Printable certificate for a future fishing trip with Dad

MADISON – Children looking for that perfect gift for a father or grandfather this Father’s Day can forget the tie and give a present their dad or granddad will really love – a gift certificate to go together on a fishing trip.

Kids of all ages can download the gift certificate from the Department of Natural Resources EEK! - Environmental Education for Kids! website, print and fill it out, and give it to their fathers to cash in later.

“We hope the gift certificate can help solve that age-old dilemma of what to give Dad,” says Karl Scheidegger, Department of Natural Resources fisheries outreach leader. “Fishing is a simple, inexpensive way of getting back to what matters most – family. It’s an opportunity to build memories that will last a lifetime.”
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MADISON – State fishing records are falling fast — literally with a “thunk” — as anglers have been hauling in a boatload of true lunkers.

By June 1, seven new state fish records had been confirmed in 2010 in the “alternate methods” category. The fish ranged from 4 pounds to more than 200 pounds, and the longest stretched more than seven feet long. Six of the seven were taken with a bow and arrow, one with a spear, and one new record was only on the books for a month before it was eclipsed.

A monster fish – a quillback-river carpsucker hybrid – has also been harvested in recent weeks from Wisconsin waters but didn’t qualify for a record because the state no longer accepts records for hybrid fish.
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Bass populations, catch rates at all-time highs

SPOONER – The northern zone bass harvest season opens June 19 with state fisheries biologists saying the bass fishing opportunities arguably have never been better.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass populations are booming in northern Wisconsin, particularly in northwest Wisconsin, and anglers can expect fast and furious action this summer, fish biologists say.

“The densities are extremely high right now,” says Jamison Wendel, fisheries biologist in Spooner. “There are lots of smaller fish, so there’s all kinds of action.”
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MADISON – People of all ages can fish free in Wisconsin on June 5 and 6, the state’s Free Fishing Weekend.

More than two dozen free fishing clinics statewide during that weekend – and free loaner equipment available from 50 state parks and offices will help make it even easier for people to take advantage of this opportunity, state aquatic education officials say.

“We want everybody to give fishing a try, and Free Fishing Weekend’s a great time to do it,” says Theresa Stabo, DNR’s aquatic education coordinator.

“Every day is free fishing day for kids 15 and under, so it’s nice for their parents, friends and older teenagers to take advantage of Free Fishing Weekend to fish for the first time, or return to it.”
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MADISON – Daily walleye bag limits will increase May 21 on 369 lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory to reflect spring spearing harvest by six Wisconsin bands of Chippewa Indians.

A daily bag limit of two walleye will increase to three walleye per day on 83 lakes. In addition, 286 lakes will go from an initial bag limit of two or three walleyes per day to the state daily bag limit of five, according to Joe Hennessy, who coordinates the treaty fisheries management program for the Department of Natural Resources.

Anglers should consult the 2010-11 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations, signs at boat landings, and the 2010-2011 Revised Ceded Territory Walleye Bag Limits pamphlet for lake-specific information.
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MADISON – Big muskies – really big muskies – await Wisconsin anglers this fishing season, based on what anglers reported catching and releasing last year.

“This tells you what is coming,” says Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Tim Simonson, referring to a graph he prepared showing that Muskies Inc. members reported catching and releasing 105 muskies 48 inches and longer in Wisconsin in 2009.

“The 48-inch-plus fish have been increasing every year and in 2009 was the highest ever in their 40 years of record-keeping,” says Simonson, co-leader of DNR’s musky management team. Read the rest…

April 6 session in Milwaukee, others upon request

MILWAUKEE – Adults who love to fish or care about Wisconsin lakes and streams can help pass on a favorite Wisconsin tradition to a new generation by attending a workshop April 6 in Milwaukee or by requesting that a workshop be held in their area.

“Anglers and others can invest in the future of fishing by attending an angler education workshop,” says Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank. “They’ll get the teaching tools and materials they need to help start a fishing club or bring aquatic education into their classroom.”
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